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"It was big," said Jerome Moore, 9, of Zion. "It was huge," corrected Gianna Connard, Jerome's 8-year-old sister. They were talking about the first time their grandparents, Pat and Linda Carry of Waukegan, brought them to see the giant bur oak tree at the corner of Grand Avenue and Green Bay Road, where the 5-acre NorStates Bank property is set for re-development. Jerome and Gianna are both right; the majestic tree measures 142 inches in circumference, just over 4 feet from ground level. It is about 226 years old, based on tree specialist Dave Leonard's formula that incorporates circumference, breast height and a growth chart based on the type of tree....

Related "U.S. Department of Agriculture" Articles

"It was big," said Jerome Moore, 9, of Zion.
"It was huge," corrected Gianna Connard, Jerome's 8-year-old sister.
They were talking about the first time their grandparents, Pat and Linda Carry of Waukegan, brought them to see the...

Bison will once again roam the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, potentially as soon as this fall, after Midewin officials formally approved reintroducing a small herd as part of their plan to restore the prairie.
"It's a national treasure...

Of all the age-defying, line-erasing, environment-loving claims plastered across beauty products, shoppers are most likely to open their wallets wider for those labeled "all natural," according to a recent Nielsen survey.Forty-six percent of...

Inspired by the popular "USDA organic" label, House Republicans are proposing a new government certification for foods free of genetically modified ingredients. The idea is part of an attempt to block mandatory labeling of foods that include...

The government is revising its definition of what it means to farm, meaning some people who receive farm subsidies but don't do any of the work would receive less government cash.
Congress charged the Agriculture Department last year with creating a new...

Buying organic fruits and vegetables costs more, and for many shoppers, the advantage hardly seems worth the expense. But there are certain produce items for which "buying organic is a must," according to a new release from Consumer Reports, the...

With only a few months left before school lets out for summer, officials behind the Summer Food Service Program are saying there is a need for more locations in Lake County to provide meals to low-income children.
Lake County offered 52 sites last...

An unexpected loss in a conservative, $2 billion municipal investment pool has led dozens of suburban villages, schools and libraries to take their tax dollars elsewhere.
Local governments from Carol Stream to Highland Park have pulled millions of...

A municipal investment fund hit by alleged fraud hopes to recover a significant portion of the $50.4 million loss in the next few months, according to public officials.
The Illinois Metropolitan Investment Fund shared the information at its annual...

Lucky bamboo is not bamboo at all — though it bears an uncanny resemblance. Rather it's a plant called Dracaena sanderiana.
As for whether it's lucky, that pretty much depends on you. Or does it?
Growers and retailers are certainly doing what they can...

Snowpack in the mountain valleys where the Colorado River originates was only a little below normal on Wednesday, marking one of the few bright spots in an increasingly grim drought gripping much of the West.
Measurement stations in western Colorado...

The nation's top nutrition advisory panel has decided to drop its caution about eating cholesterol-laden food, a move that could undo almost 40 years of government warnings about its consumption.
The group's finding that cholesterol in the diet need no...

If you are confused about what a "natural" food is, turns out you're in good company.
So are the food-makers whose advertising depends on the description.
At the nation's largest annual gathering of organic and "natural" food makers,...

A strain of bird flu that's deadly to poultry has been found in a Minnesota commercial turkey flock but the risk to humans is low, state and federal officials announced Thursday.
It's the same highly pathogenic H5N2 strain of avian influenza that's...

Orland Township, 14807 S. Ravinia Avenue, is hosting a free informative discussion on food safety, presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service on Wednesday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m.
April 7 is World Health Day and...

Kane County officials are exploring the idea of setting up a food hub and poised to hire a consultant to conduct a feasibility study.
A contract is being finalized to hire New Venture Advisors, said Matt Tansley, Land Use Planner. The firm is expected to...

Airocolina "Pinky" Janota climbs inside the ambulance that once was part of the Steger Fire Department's fleet and marvels at the possibilities.
The 20-year-old vehicle, equipped with oxygen drops, cameras, monitors and all sorts of medical...

Until 2004, when a cow arrived at a slaughterhouse so sick or injured that it could not even walk, it was legal to kill it for human food. According to the Department of Agriculture, there were between 150,000 and 200,000 of these poor animals processed...

Grading standards for maple syrup have been revised to match international standards, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday, and now consumers can have a better understanding of what topping they're buying.
The revisions to the voluntary...

The milk industry is fed up with all the sourness over dairy.As Americans continue turning away from milk, an industry group is pushing back at its critics with a social media campaign trumpeting the benefits of milk. The association says it needs to...